Oprah Winfrey announced that she will be stepping down from the board of Weight Watchers after admitting to using weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy.
The 70-year-old talk show host has served on the Weight Watchers board of directors since 2015, when she acquired a 10% stake. However, she revealed that she will not be standing for re-election at the shareholder meeting in May, after admitting to using one of the controversial weight loss drugs to help her slim down.
Oprah Winfrey Steps Down From Weight Watchers Board After Nearly 10 Years
Winfrey, who has been flaunting her epic weight loss on the red carpet over the past few months, shared her decision to part ways with Weight Watchers in a statement. She said: "I look forward to continuing to advise and collaborate with Weight Watchers and CEO Sima Sistani in elevating the conversation around recognizing obesity a chronic condition, working to reduce stigma, and advocating for health equity."
The Build the Life You Want author also revealed that she plans to donate her shares in the company to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Thilo Semmelbauer, Weight Watchers' chairman of the board, said Winfrey was "an inspiring presence and passionate advocate" for all of the company's members, adding: "What I know for sure, we will dearly miss her presence on the Board."
The remaining nine board members reportedly said that they support Winfrey's charitable decision, and that it serves "to eliminate any perceived conflict of interest around her taking weight loss medications."
Oprah Confesses To Using Weight Loss Injections After Previously Calling Them 'The Easy Way Out'
Despite previously explaining that she thought weight loss injections were "the easy way out," Winfrey confessed at the end of last year that she sought the help of weight loss injections to keep her on track during Thanksgiving.
"I knew I was going to have two solid weeks of eating," Winfrey told People in an interview published in December 2023, adding: "Instead of gaining eight pounds like I did last year, I gained half a pound. It quiets the food noise."
"I now use it as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing," Winfrey continued, in reference to the weight loss injection she was taking, before going on to defend it and other similar weight loss injections. "The fact that there's a medically approved prescription for managing weight and staying healthier, in my lifetime, feels like relief, like redemption, like a gift, and not something to hide behind and once again be ridiculed for," she added. "I'm absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself."
